A27: Chichester MP accused of 'sitting on the fence' over Northern bypass

Liberal Democrat councillors have called on the county council, district council and Gillian Keegan MP to ensure A27 improvements are delivered.

After a massive community initiative to build a better A27 around Chichester, Government quango Highways England has rejected both options put forward by the people, the county council revealed on Thursday (December 20).

The Liberal Democrats said the community had worked closely under the Build a Better A27 (BABA27) consultation process but added that Chichester could not afford to continue with a road which causes 'huge disruption and affects tourism and business in the community."

Adrian Moss, leader of the Liberal Democrats group confirmed that he has written to Gillian Keegan MP, the leaders of West Sussex County Council and Chichester District Council.

READ MORE: The A27: Our journey continuesMr Moss said: "Gillian has failed to back the district and county councils in their joint commitment to a preferred Northern route. By sitting on the fence she must now take responsibility for the decision to withdraw all funding for an upgrade to the A27."

"With considerable commercial and housing development planned in the Chichester area over the coming years, the A27 must be improved. We must also consider how it fits into the bigger picture of transport in the District more generally."

READ MORE: Comment: Vital we end the A27 bottlenecksThe Liberal Democrats said they are calling for a 'standing conference' to be formed to replace BABA27 and to create a single voice for the A27 improvements and related environmental and transport improvements in the District.

The standing conference would build upon the outstanding work of BABA27 and be made up of concerned residents, residents associations, parish councils, campaigning groups and local councillors to ensure the district has a single strong voice, a spokesman said.

The aim of the standing conference will be to ensure that the Highways Authority, planners, Highways England and the government have a clear understanding of the views of the local residents.